3 HOUSE RULES WE ARE IMPLEMENTING THIS SUMMER
READY TO LEAVE YOUR 9-TO-5 BUT CAN’T FIND THE TIME TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS AND STILL HAVE TIME FOR YOUR FAMILY? GRAB YOUR FREE PRODUCTIVITY PLANNER AND LET’S GET YOU YOUR TIME BACK!
A few weeks ago, I was listening to The Lazy Genius podcast talking all about “house rules” for the summer. Having house rules was something I was familiar with after reading her book earlier this year.
You’re probably fairly familiar with the concept as well, even if you don’t necessarily call them “house rules.” For example, one of our house rules is washing your hands as soon as you come inside, whether or not you touched anything or where you were.
(Obviously, this rule became pretty standard once the pandemic hit…)
You might also have house rules about chores, or shoes on the couch, or even having pets on the couch or bed.
But, this episode took things a little farther… instead of focusing on your standard, everyday house rules, this was all about house rules for the summertime.
I’ve been wanting to implement Summer House Rules for awhile now, but just never could stick with it or get anyone else on board with me. But, I decided this summer was going to be different.
Being a working mom - and especially working from home when the kids are home - makes things more difficult. And I knew that I needed to set some rules and boundaries with them for the summer if we were all going to keep our sanity this summer.
(OK, mostly so that the adults in the house could keep their sanity all summer long…)
We’ve created 3 Summer House Rules that we started implementing from Day 1. Yup, only 3 because I felt that was a good number to stick with and would be manageable for all of us to actually remember.
Here are the 3 Summer House Rules we’ve set for the summer…
1. You must complete all your “chores” on your list before you can use the iPad or Switch.
Something you should know about me… I really don’t care how much screen time my kids have. Does that make me a bad mom? Possibly.
What I do care about is that my kids spend time learning how to PRIORITIZE before they get to do things for fun. My goal this summer is to help them (1) be a little more independent, and (2) learn about priorities.
I created a list of 8 things each kid needs to finish before they get to play on the iPad or Switch. They’re a little different for each one, due to age + interests, but for the most part, they are similar.
And here’s the kicker… I don’t care IF or WHEN they get it done. If they don’t want to make their bed, that’s perfectly fine, but that just means they don’t get time on their devices. Or if they wait until 3PM to read, I’m OK with that too, but again, no devices until the important things are completed.
Of course, Day 1 they both woke up early and had everything done before 8AM. Now, they wait a little longer to take care of business, but they’ve been doing really well so far - and keeping each other accountable with getting everything done on the list first!
2. You can only use 1 cup or bottle and 1 bowl per day.
With all 4 of us being home all summer long, we go through dishes like crazy. I tend to run the dishwasher every night, but the summer means 2-3x the amount of dishes we typically go through.
In order to cut down on some of the dishes we use, we implemented this rule last year when we were housebound. You get 1 bowl in the morning for your breakfast (they typically eat Pop Tarts or mini donuts because I am a #lazymom) and that becomes your snack bowl for the entire day.
If we make popcorn in the afternoon, it goes in the snack bowl. Want dessert after dinner? Better have your snack bowl because you’re not getting another one!
The same goes for cups + water bottles. Why my kids feel like they need a new cup every time they want a drink is beyond me, so this rule keeps it so we don’t go through 15 cups by the end of the day.
3. No friends in the house until Mama is done working for the day
We are fortunate enough to have A LOT of kids in our neighborhood who are the same age as our kids - and who tend to all get along! We love our neighbors and we want our kids to be able to play as much as they can with them over the summer.
However, I still have to work in the summer, which puts a lot of that “watching children” burden on my husband. And days that he might not be home, it’s hard for me to supervise children when I’m on calls or trying to write for the day. (Hello a million interruptions!)
Matt + I had a long conversation about this very thing and decided that we needed to create some sort of rule or understanding around this, so we decided that the kids couldn’t have friends inside the house until I was done working for the day.
Not only does this help me concentrate a little better (and not be interrupted every 5 minutes), but it also allows my husband to get some things done and have some quality time with our kids.
It also still gives our kids the freedom to play with their friends, but it forces them to be outside. If they want to go to a friend’s house to play, it has to be OK with the parents first and they have to let us know where they are so we can keep tabs on them.
Just setting this rule was a weight lifted off my shoulders, and the kids have not complained about it once! And I think when the hubby is officially off for the summer later this week, he will appreciate this rule just as much as I do!
Ready to create some of your own house rules for the summer? Here are some summer rules my friends are implementing this summer in their homes…
Dressed and ready for the day by 8:30 every day
We still have to clean up their rooms and playroom every other day
Reading, math & a few chores in the morning
You may not sit on the couch with the wet swimsuit on
All chores completed, and then non-screen activities before screen time
Don’t ask me 100 times for a snack
And if you need help implementing some summer rules of your own, be sure to check out The Lazy Genius podcast, episode #212, A Guide to Summer House Rules.
Have you set house rules for the summer with your kids? Leave me a comment below and tell me your summer house rules!
